We were in the Jardines de la Reina archipelago off the south coast of Cuba, looking for the mysterious \u2018Reina\u2019 \u2013 a giant hammerhead that locals said had been spotted around the area. Interested to see if \u2018Reina\u2019 was indeed just one large female or in fact many different sharks, I decided to head into the mangroves at night to see if we could come across one hunting.<\/p>\n
Once in the water we were treated to sightings of big sharks \u2013 silkies and Caribbean reefs \u2013 but no hammerheads. However, we did encounter a 3m-long American crocodile.<\/p>\n
After we\u2019d taken a few photos and some video footage it disappeared into the darkness and we decided to end the dive. My microphone had been acting up, so I wasn\u2019t able to speak to my colleagues underwater.<\/p>\n
My dive buddy motioned that he was heading up to the surface and, not wanting to get hit in the face by his fins, I waited a few seconds before my own ascent.<\/p>\n
Suddenly I felt a hard pressure on my left calf \u2013 and then I was dragged into the murk.<\/p>\n
For a few seconds I clawed at the sand in hope of grabbing a rock or something else to keep me from being dragged away, or to use it to hit the big carnivore and pry my leg out from its jaws.<\/p>\n
There were no rocks in the mangroves, so I began hitting my microphone button, hoping someone would hear me. There was no reply. I made sure to keep my leg still to prevent the crocodile from biting harder or, worse, rolling \u2013 possibly taking my leg off.<\/p>\n
Just as I was racking my mind to think what else I could do, the croc let me go. Once free from its jaws, I filled my scuba vest (buoyancy control device) with air and shot up to the surface. Fortunately, I didn\u2019t suffer from the bends despite this hasty ascent. As soon as my head was above water, I pulled off my mask and said: \u201cI\u2019ve been bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
My team dragged me out of the water and ripped open my suit: the croc had inflicted three deep puncture wounds. More painful than the bite was the cleaning process; we were in the middle of nowhere, so they used a mix of bleach and water with a high-pressure hose. After a few touch-and-go nights and a hospital trip, I went home to Australia \u2013 with a wicked scar and the most dramatic story.<\/p>\n